Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Dal Dosa / Lentil Pancake

Markets have always fascinated me. Of course, I prefer the markets to be clean, at least the pathways but typically in India the markets are dusty and most often the ground is strewn with rotting produce. Open air markets are better in the sense, the air is fresh. We have a weekly market close by, that has vegetables, fruits, food stuffs, clothes, plastic and steel ware, etc. This market is relatively cleaner because it is put up on a less used street with strict instructions to the vendors to keep the place clean. This market is known for its wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. On my visit to the market this week , I saw the start of the winter greens like - fenugreek / methi, tender white radish / mooli, spinach / palak, mustard greens / sarson. I got some tender radish and plan on a sambhar one of these days and will also think of some other dish to put it into. For today, I used the tender greens in this recipe.

Soak the moong dal and udad dal for 2 hours. Drain and add both the dals to the blender along with the cooked rice and asafoetida, dry red chillies, curry leaves and salt. Add 1/4 cup water and grind to a smooth paste. The batter should be thick and should drop onto the griddle with a little coaxing. Add water if needed spoon by spoon till you get the required consistency.

Heat a griddle and pour a ladle of batter and spread it to about 3 to 4 inch diameter circle. Apply some oil to the edges and on top of the dosa and let it set. When the dosa becomes firm turn it over and let it cook on that side too. Since this dosa has cooked rice the dosa needs to be set well to turn over. When both sides are done, slide it onto a plate.

This is the recipe for a simple dal dosa, you can add grated vegetables to the batter and make this a healthy breakfast. Below are two different vegetable toppings I used.

Topping 1
Grated carrots and finely chopped tender radish leaves.

Topping 2
Grated carrots and finely chopped capsicum or bell pepper.

Vegetable combinations are endless, take inspiration from what is available in the market and of course your refrigerator.